Cave King – 277

Chapter 277 – The Royal Capital!!

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After departing Lushika, we headed for the royal capital.

The carriage was currently rushing down the road to the south.

Number 15, who had taken the appearance of Alva, would follow us later. This would give me time to look into the Arubal Company and the president before they met.

Besides, it was possible that the president and culprit’s people were still in Lushika. And it was important to fool them by going at different times.

Furthermore, Rish would also go to Lushika after a short delay.

She had only reported to Count Leodor that the bandits had been defeated, and that she was going to the city in order to meet Elserd. She did not tell him about the device or the Arubal Company. And that showed that she trusted me.

The journey was peace itself. The road to the royal capital was protected by the royal Knights Order, and so there was little chance of seeing monsters or bandits during the day.

Not only that, but there were plenty of places to stop, and it was not difficult to find an inn. As the carriage was so comfortable, they did not really need a room. However, since it offered opportunities to enjoy food and shopping, they decided to stay at an inn for the night.

In the meantime, they contacted Sheorl through the golems. Things were well on the other side. Of course, we had also told them what we were doing now.

And like that, after a week of traveling, we were able to see the giant city from the window.

“It’s so big…”
“I’ve seen many cities before, but this one is different.”

Rienna and Fule were in awe.

Even Mappa looked impressed. He began to draw the scene onto a canvas.

I understood the feeling of wanting to capture it.

A city with white towers that pierced the sky. The gray walls around loomed like mountains that extended into the horizon. Outside of the city, there were endless fields and other large towns.

This was the city where the ruler of all of Sanfaris lived. And it was my homeland.

I turned to the others.

“Is it really your first time here?”

“I saw it a few times from far away. It’s hard to miss.”
“You can really feel the size when you are closer…”
“Yes. It has the highest population of any city on this continent…no, the entire world.”

It was also one of the oldest cities. In fact, no one knew who first came and settled here.

“It’s been a long time since I was here. But it really is big…”
“We should make Sheorl into a city that can match it.”
“While there is nothing wrong with big cities, Sheorl has its own special charm.”

I nodded to Rienna.

“A place that is lively with a lot of people is great. But it can also lead to problems.”
“Indeed, now that you mention it. Just feeding everyone would be hard… Oh, where are we going to stay tonight?”

“I doubt there is a room for me at the palace these days. And so we should search for an inn or a cheap house.”

Rienna said,

“Inns are nice, but the freedom of a house is also appealing.”
“Indeed. Especially if the investigation takes longer than expected. A house might end up being cheaper. And considering the possibility of using it as a base for Sheorl, a large building would be best.”

I thought for a moment and then continued.

“Our first priority is investigating the Arubal Company. And so we should finish the search for a house today. If we cannot find one, then we will just get a room at an inn.”
“Yes. The president may be acting already.”

“Well, he should be more cautious than Alava and Berido were…”

I doubted we would find any evidence. Still, it was worth a look.

Fule said,

“But…we should get the layout of the company if we want to witness the conversation between the president and Number 15.”

“And I would like to see what kind of person he is. Perhaps we could meet your father after that?”

I nodded at Rienna.

“Yes. Regardless, I cannot meet my father immediately. Even royals have to request an audience first. Besides, he never meets people he does not have business with. Though, I doubt he would refuse to meet me… But he also leaves the city quite often.”

Fule chuckled.

“…He even hid in the cargo and came all of the way to Sheorl.”

“That really was a surprise. I thought kings were supposed to stay in their palace… Perhaps they have a double who takes their place.”
“I never thought about it, but it is possible… Well, anyway. We will deal with my father later. Right now, we must focus on the Arubal Company.”

As we talked like this, the city gates came into view. The stone gates seemed much too large for humans. They were big enough for the giant Mappa statue in Sheorl to go through.

Around the gates, there were great lines of carriages and people who were coming or going.

Some of them were looking curiously at the carriage.

“What a great carriage…”
“I wonder who is inside…”
“It must be someone from the royal family.”

“The two women are very pretty.”
“But the man is so plain.”

Rienna scowled.

“Why, I… But there is no one as impressive as Lord Heal. I think the people here must be blind.”
“Now, now, Princess. We all know that it is what’s inside Lord Heal that really matters.”

Fule didn’t bother to deny the accusation of looking plain…

Mappa continued to look happy and draw the scenes around him. He must be happy to hear the praise for the carriage that he made. 

Regardless, we soon made our way into the city.

Inside, there was a place where you could pay a fee to leave your carriage.

However, ours was so fancy. Considering the risks, we decided to pay extra so that it would be kept in a proper building and not outside with the others. Also, we had the golem driver stay with it.

After that, we headed out into the main street.

Rienna and Fule paused and looked at the street that extended into the horizon.

“…There are so many people.”
“And carriages.”

The streets were overflowing with people. We were still close to the gate, but it was already difficult to walk without bumping into others.

However…

“This is nothing. Further on, there are places that are too crowded to even enter.”
“Ohh. It makes me miss the quietness of Sheorl… Yes, I think it would be better that it remains small.”

“You changed your mind already… Well, Mr. Mappa seems to be enjoying himself.”

Mappa was moving around and looking at the streets and buildings. Perhaps he enjoyed seeing tall buildings.

Rienna looked at him with a smile.

“And there are so many clothes that I’ve never seen before. I would like to take a look around when things settle… But first, we have to find a house or room, yes? Lord Heal, which way should we go?”
“Indeed… Considering convenience, a place that faces this street would be best. This is the biggest street in the city. It leads all of the way to the palace, and connects to all of the important places in the city.”

I said.

“And that includes the Arubal Company. Not only that, but there is a noble district near the palace.”

Rienna nodded.

“So we should be near this street for the sake of the investigation as well.”

“Aye. The other companies are all gathered here. And so we should look around and see if there is any good property. And if not, we can look for an inn.”
“Understood… Though, it seems like it will be tiring having to walk.”

Fule said a little dishearteningly.

And like that, we started to make our way down the street.

However, an angry voice rang shortly after.

“Hey! You people! Stop!! Aren’t you monsters!?”

Rienna and Fule stopped.

For a moment, I was worried that we had been found out.

However, when I turned my head, the person who was shouting was facing in the opposite direction.

He wore tattered clothes and had a chipped sword on his belt. And there were other similar men surrounding him.

Thugs. And they had found someone to pick on.

It was not an unusual sight within the city. If anything, Leodor had been too peaceful. This was what you saw often all over the country.

But what was this about monsters?

Up ahead, I saw that there was an old wagon. And in the bag, there was a pile of supplies, as well as some hooded figures.

“Goblins…”

Fule muttered. Rienna nodded.

“I think so. Though, they must be a different tribe from us.”

Rienna had been a goblin too. So she could likely tell, even without seeing their faces.

Before meeting me, they had traveled all around the country. And sometimes, they had to visit human towns in order to buy supplies. That was likely why these goblins were here as well.

By law, monsters were forbidden from entering the city. However, the reality was that humans and monsters had been trading goods for many years. And it was seen happening all over the country.

There had been a time during the Barleon Empire, when humans and all monster races lived together in peace. It was a remnant of that time. Just as monsters wanted what humans had, humans were interested in goods made by monsters.

So in general, guards would be bribed to look away…

Still, there were always people who liked to torment the weak.

And so the thugs laughed as they surrounded the wagon.

“Hehe. If you want to get through, you better hand over all your money.”
“Bu-but, we don’t…”
“Then give us your goods. Eh?”

I could not allow this to happen.

And so I stepped forward.

But just then, a dark hooded figure appeared.

“Stop.”

The voice was familiar to me.

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